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World War I, "The Great War," began in Sarajevo with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary by a Bosnian Serb in June 1914. Germany, under Kaiser Wilhelm, was Austria's ally and went to war against Serbia. Soon all of Europe was drawn into a war based on political alliances. The United States remained neutral for much of the war until German submarines threatened US ships in the Atlantic and were spotted off the coast of Florida. The US declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917. 117,000 Americans died in the war. The war inspired nationalist movements around the world including the Russian Revolution, the Irish Revolution, and the rise of Nazi Germany. The Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919 bringing an end to the war but imposing such punishment on Germany that World War II was the result.

The broken column memorial in Veterans Memorial Park originally stood in Fifth Street park (now Centennial Park) at 5th Street and Park Avenue. On it are listed the names of the Sanford men who died in World War I. It was donated to the city by T.J. Miller and his son Frank.

Sanford's Campbell-Lossing American Legion Post #53 was formed in February 1920 and was named for Frank Campbell and Arthur Lossing who were both killed in the war in 1918.
In 1927, a flagpole with a fountain at the base was placed at the entrance to the City pier (now Veterans Memorial park) in memory of the Sanford men who died in World War I.

The ladies of the Sanford chapter of the DAR won first place for their Armistice Day parade float in 1920. Parades were held in Sanford on November 11, Armistice Day, to mark the anniversary of the end of World War I. Today this is observed as Veterans Day.